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A. An vnreasonable desire to enioy honors, estates and great places: There were in Rome within an hun∣dreth yeares 73. Emperours, whereof but 3. died in their beds. And it is of two sorts, Ambition in Princes; mbit ion in priuate men.
Her fruites are
Hugo Victorinus (an ancient latine Christian Diuine) Lib. 2. de Anima hath written, that Pride hath her Coach drawne with fower horses, the foremost of which is Ambition. It may well be defined to bee a most vehe∣ment, stronge, disordered, and vnreasonable desire of glory, an unsatiable, and an vnbridled greedines to rule.
A. A Modest man (as Aristotle saith) desireth ho∣nour as he ought, and as becommeth him; but hee that desireth otherwise than hee ought, and by vnlawfull meanes, is ambitious, and carryed away with a per∣turbation of Intemperance.
A. Consider and looke into either auncient, or la∣ter Chronicles and histories, and see where there euer was any great plagues, any subuersion, and ouer∣throwes, of either florishing Monarchies, common∣wealths, or Citties, but they were wrought by ambi∣tious men, refusing dutifull submission to higher power, and desirous to commaund, and to be prefer∣red before others. Who but ambitious men are wont to kindle, and stirre vp the fire of domestical diuisions, ciuill warres, and dissensions, making no reckoning of their damnable enterprises, so they might but make a way to effect their owne deuised platformes? what but ambition procured the ruine of Graecia, flourish∣ing in Armes and Sciences? what but ambition wrought the decay and confusion of the common∣wealths of the Lacedaemonians and Athenians; the one being maisters of the Sea, and the other of the land?
what but ambition stir'd vp Caesar and Pompey, Marius, and Silla, Octauius, Antonius, and Lepidus, by force of Armes to put their country to sword and fire, and so vnnaturally to impaire the large and great scope of the Romaine Empire? what but ambition hath drawne some men to such desperate mindes, so farre to aban∣don both God, and all goodnes, as to giue themselues ouer to Necromancie, and to contract, and enter into couenants with the deuill, that they might come to foueraigne power and authority? what but ambi∣tion caused Henry the fift, the Emperour, by force to depriue his father from the Empire, and to keepe him in prison till hee died? what but ambition mo∣ued Maufroy, the Prince of Tarentum, to strangle his owne father Frederick the Emperour, and to poyson Conradus his owne brother? what but ambition forced Antonius, Sonne to the Emperour Seuerus to stabbe his brother Geta with a dagger? what caused Solyman king of the Turkes to strangle his owne Sonne Sultan Mustapha? what moueth many to put innocents to death, that stand in States expectant of kingdomes, that themselues may take surer footing (as they thinke) to growe vp, and continue in royall places? what (I say) is and hath beene the cause of these, and many other such sathanicall, and impious actions, but ambition; This vile Monster, & pestiferous humor of Ambition?